Marcus Cooper happy Bears are playing on a short week

Posted by Josh Alper on September 26, 2017, 3:20 PM EST

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Bears cornerback Marcus Cooper made a major mistake last Sunday when he slowed down short of the end zone on a blocked field goal return and lost the ball after being hit by Steelers tight end Vance McDonald.

The Bears wound up getting the ball back after a lengthy sorting out process and kicked a field goal with no time left on the clock in the second quarter to take a 17-7 lead. They wound up winning the game 23-17 in overtime and Cooper said it was a “great feeling” to know that his error didn’t contribute to a loss.

On Tuesday, Cooper said he’s happy that the Bears will be playing Thursday so he doesn’t have to dwell on the blunder for too long.

“Things happen,” Cooper said, via the Chicago Tribune. “There are going to be ups. There are going to be downs. Fans are going to be up and down with you as well. Luckily for me, it’s a short week. So I’m not trying to focus on that. We’ve got Green Bay coming up and it’s just putting my focus there.”

Bears coach John Fox said after the game that Cooper would learn from the mistake, something he reiterated on Tuesday while adding that Cooper is “too much a part of our team” to leave behind.

Can we please remove all the Jr, Sr, IV, etc from the names on jerseys? It’s out of hand. If your son or father is not only in the NFL with you, but also on your same team. Then let’s have the Jr, Sr or whatever. Otherwise, just the last name.